[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.61,0:00:03.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I was trained to become a gymnast
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.32,0:00:06.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.98,0:00:09.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I was in the first grade, the government
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.52,0:00:12.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.13,0:00:14.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all expenses paid.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.18,0:00:16.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my tiger mother said, "No."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.82,0:00:18.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents wanted me to become
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.96,0:00:21.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an engineer like them.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.06,0:00:23.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After surviving the Cultural Revolution,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.15,0:00:26.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.96,0:00:29.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a safe and well-paid job.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.89,0:00:32.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is not important if I like the job or not.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.69,0:00:37.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.97,0:00:41.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is me playing my imaginary piano.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.62,0:00:43.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An opera singer must start training young
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.80,0:00:45.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to learn acrobatics,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.38,0:00:48.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I tried everything I could to go to opera school.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.33,0:00:50.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I even wrote to the school principal
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.59,0:00:53.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the host of a radio show.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.36,0:00:57.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But no adults liked the idea.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.16,0:00:59.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No adults believed I was serious.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.88,0:01:03.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Only my friends supported me, but they were kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.13,0:01:05.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just as powerless as I was.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.88,0:01:11.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.65,0:01:14.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My dream would never come true.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.62,0:01:17.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was afraid that for the rest of my life
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.92,0:01:19.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some second-class happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.96,0:01:22.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would be the best I could hope for.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.50,0:01:24.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that's so unfair.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.93,0:01:28.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I was determined to find another calling.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.73,0:01:31.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nobody around to teach me? Fine.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.46,0:01:33.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I turned to books.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.70,0:01:37.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I satisfied my hunger for parental advice
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.34,0:01:42.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.22,0:01:45.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I found my role model of an independent woman
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.29,0:01:49.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.13,0:01:52.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.83,0:01:56.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.80,0:01:58.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.87,0:02:02.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I came to the U.S. in 1995,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.06,0:02:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so which books did I read here first?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.94,0:02:08.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Books banned in China, of course.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.46,0:02:12.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.13,0:02:16.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.24,0:02:19.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Bible is interesting, but strange.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.96,0:02:22.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.44,0:02:25.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a topic for a different day.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.92,0:02:29.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.21,0:02:32.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You shall honor your father and mother."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.19,0:02:35.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Honor," I said. "That's so different,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.14,0:02:36.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and better, than obey."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.88,0:02:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it becomes my tool to climb out
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.38,0:02:41.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of this Confucian guilt trap
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.50,0:02:45.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to restart my relationship with my parents.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.77,0:02:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Encountering a new culture also started my habit
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.79,0:02:50.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of comparative reading.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.56,0:02:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It offers many insights.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.42,0:02:57.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, I found this map out of place at first
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.20,0:03:02.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because this is what Chinese students grew up with.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.08,0:03:03.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It had never occurred to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.59,0:03:06.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,China doesn't have to be at the center of the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.72,0:03:10.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A map actually carries somebody's view.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.97,0:03:13.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Comparative reading actually is nothing new.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.38,0:03:16.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a standard practice in the academic world.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.69,0:03:18.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are even research fields
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.15,0:03:22.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such as comparative religion and comparative literature.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.10,0:03:24.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Compare and contrast gives scholars
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.33,0:03:27.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a more complete understanding of a topic.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.34,0:03:29.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I thought, well, if comparative reading
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.09,0:03:32.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,works for research, why not do it in daily life too?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.93,0:03:36.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I started reading books in pairs.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.30,0:03:37.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So they can be about people --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.52,0:03:38.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.40,0:03:40.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are involved in the same event,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.91,0:03:43.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or friends with shared experiences.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.59,0:03:44.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder]
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.99,0:03:49.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.39,0:03:51.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.50,0:03:54.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or similar stories from different cultures,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.64,0:03:57.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell]
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.52,0:04:00.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, both the Christ and the Buddha
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.91,0:04:03.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,went through three temptations.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.34,0:04:05.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For the Christ, the temptations
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.14,0:04:09.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are economic, political and spiritual.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.12,0:04:13.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For the Buddha, they are all psychological:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.44,0:04:20.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.76,0:04:23.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.80,0:04:25.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to read your favorite books in two languages.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.70,0:04:26.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts]
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.95,0:04:30.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.53,0:04:34.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, it's through translation that I realized
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.74,0:04:40.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh!
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.71,0:04:45.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.100,0:04:49.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.26,0:04:54.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.64,0:04:57.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the past and the present.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.29,0:05:01.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.52,0:05:04.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Having a dream shattered really is nothing
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.20,0:05:07.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,compared to what many others have suffered.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.14,0:05:09.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have come to believe that coming true
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.87,0:05:13.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not the only purpose of a dream.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.15,0:05:17.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Its most important purpose is to get us in touch
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.05,0:05:19.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with where dreams come from,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.16,0:05:22.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where passion comes from, where happiness comes from.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.07,0:05:26.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even a shattered dream can do that for you.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.29,0:05:28.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So because of books, I'm here today,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.54,0:05:32.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.20,0:05:33.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most of the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.95,0:05:37.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So may books be always with you.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.51,0:05:38.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.99,0:05:40.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.84,0:05:44.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. (Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.48,0:05:49.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. (Applause)